


just out of reach

by amsves



Category: Code Geass
Genre: Between R1 and R2, Drabble, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2017-05-17
Packaged: 2018-11-02 00:22:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10933089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amsves/pseuds/amsves
Summary: Rolo has never failed a mission before.Rolo thinks he should hate her.





	just out of reach

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Fall of the House of Usher](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2298569) by [tapochki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tapochki/pseuds/tapochki). 



> Recommended listening today is [this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uISbUq-FT8).
> 
> Just a drabble about my son Rolo.

Rolo has never failed a mission before.

He’s never even varied from the set path. Every minute, every step, every breath is calculated to perfection and presented to him before he sets out. Sometimes, he wonders, ponders what would happen if he waited a minute too long and enjoyed the fresh air in his lungs and the sunlight on his skin, but the thought process always ends in the same way: there is no room for error; V.V. has not made an error; if Rolo strays, he will cause an error. It’s best to do what he’s told.

This is the first time Rolo has not perfectly followed orders.

This is the first time Rolo has actively obstructed V.V.’s plan.

He goes in with the team instructed to sweep the Lamperouge residence and destroy any evidence of Nunnally, of C.C., of Zero. This will give him a chance to acquaint himself with the place in which he is supposed to have lived for years, he is told. His brother would surely be confused if Rolo couldn’t remember the layout of his own house, and Rolo does not need his brother to be confused. Rolo needs his brother to take his every word as gospel.

Which is why it’s so strange.

Rolo’s room will be Nunnally’s old room, and so he enters. He locks the door behind him and sets about collecting the princess’ things into a box. He finds books, written in Braille; a device which looks like it might be used for some type of drawing; countless stuffed animals; dresses, each in pretty pastel shades like lime or rose. Into the box they go.

Rolo thinks he should hate her. 

He’s not sure why; she has committed no crime other than being the unfortunate little sister of Zero. She is naive and almost certainly spoiled, but those are not atrocities on their own. Still, Rolo can’t shake the feeling that he is meant to hate the girl whose place he is about to take. 

And yet, he doesn’t. For whatever reason, there is nothing but a strange sadness for the girl whom he is actively erasing, like words rubbed off of a paper, or drawings on a foggy windowpane. Gone. Like memories just out of reach.

He shakes his head, closes the door to the emptied room behind him, and, then, varies.

He steps into his brother’s room.

A thin veil of dust covers every surface; Rolo trails a fingertip along the bed frame. This is the room in which the terrorist Zero was conceived, constructed, codified. He, and the witch, sat on this very bed, breathed this very air. This is where Lelouch Lamperouge, his brother, became the number one public enemy of Britannia. 

And this is where Zero will slumber, unaware of his true nature. 

Rolo wanders to the closet, pulls open the doors, but there is nothing interesting there, just rows and rows of immaculately pressed uniforms and a few casual outfits. Rolo sighs, disappointed, though why he can’t be sure. He turns, and approaches the desk. A cork board hangs above it, studded with photos. 

Rolo takes a moment to examine them. There’s one of his brother with Milly, dressed as a vampire. Next to it, there’s one of him and Shirley eating pizza at a Council meeting. There’s one of Suzaku and Rivalz playing with Arthur, and there’s one of Kallen and Nina chatting quietly by the window. 

And then, in the middle, in full, glossy color, is a photo of Nunnally. 

She is sprawled out on her back, against the lush green grass. Shade covers her pale skin, but dapples of sunlight spot her face. She appears to be sleeping peacefully; a small smile is present on her lips. 

Rolo takes the photo.

He presses it into his pocket.

The door clicks behind him as he leaves.

Later that day, Rolo commits the photo to memory before destroying it. No evidence. 

Two mistakes today was enough. He will not make a third.

**Author's Note:**

> Scream with me at [my tumblr](http://senpai-san.tumblr.com/).


End file.
